Superman: Legacy: James Gunn Debunks Lex Luthor Rumor

Superman: Legacy is officially on the horizon, and it will bring a whole DC Universe onto the big screen. Now that David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan have been cast as Legacy‘s version of Clark Kent / Superman and Lois Lane, the conversation has shifted to the supporting cast that will surround them. Thus far, the answer has been surprising, with multiple prominent DC heroes cast in supporting roles in Legacy, but that hasn’t stopped rumors from swirling about Superman-adjacent characters.

One recent rumor suggested that James Bond and Knives Out star Daniel Craig could be in contention for Legacy‘s version of Lex Luthor — but apparently, that might not be the case. As Legacy writer-director James Gunn revealed on Threads, the rumors of Craig playing Lex Luthor are “not true.”

Who Could Play Lex Luthor in Superman: Legacy?

Previous reports have hinted that the Lex Luthor shortlist for Superman: Legacy includes Alexander and Bill Skarsgard, and some have campaigned for Nicholas Hoult (who reportedly auditioned for Superman) to play Lex as well. There was also scuttlebutt around a Guardians of the Galaxy cast member possibly speaking to Gunn about playing Lex, but both Drax actor Dave Bautista and High Evolutionary actor Chukwudi Iwuji have confirmed they are not the actor in question.

“Now that we’ve kind of done a lot of auditions, we’re narrowing it down,” Gunn explained in a recent appearance on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum. “We’re not done yet. By the way — there’s a lot of stories out there about who we’re auditioning and all these screen tests. I’m just saying it’s not all true, that’s for sure. There’s things in there that are completely false, but I I can’t go out there and say ‘Oh this isn’t true, and this isn’t true’ without going through everything. And by the way, it’s not the audience’s — at this point, I don’t think it’s the business of anyone who is screen testing for a role. That is a very private thing. Journalists have to do what they have to do. That’s their job. They’re trying to get hits. They find out some things from agencies, but here’s the problem — is that they find out some things from agencies that might be true. They find out other things from agencies, which are agencies pushing their clients and trying to pump it up, like ‘I think my client is testing!’ There’s a lot of nonsense that comes out of it, and that’s difficult, because there’s people out there that are supposedly testing that aren’t, and that must be difficult for them as people. And there’s other people that might be testing… and I think it’s a private thing between me and them.”

What Is Superman: Legacy About?

Per DC Studios, Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.

“We got James Gunn and Peter (Safran) working very hard on DC, which is going to be a very big growth driver for this company,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav explained earlier this year. “We are very bullish on DC. The Superman script first draft is done. Gunn is on a mission from god. It is a really good moment to prove out on DC what we got and how strong it is globally for long-term sustainable growth.”

What do you think of James Gunn debunking the latest Lex Luthor rumor around Superman: Legacy? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Superman: Legacy is set to debut exclusively in theaters on July 11, 2025.